Valentine’s Day Makeup

This year, as we celebrate the season of love at home, you might not be in the spirit to do some sultry makeup. It’s completely understandable how you might not want to get dolled up just to stay in, but honestly, it can be kind of nice to have a reason to do some fancy makeup. Below I am going to list the different items that work well for Valentine’s Day.

My first picks are going to be eyeshadow palettes. Now, of course, we have the sultry palettes such as the ColourPop Wine & Only or All That. These palettes encompass darker shades that make for a great date night smoky eye. But if you’re looking for something a bit lighter, more on a flirty track, ColourPop has you covered with their new Cloud Spun palette. And if you’re looking for a bougie option, Natasha Denona can help. You could go with her new Mini Love palette which only has five shades. This is perfect if you struggle to pick shades that work together, but the Love palette (one of her middy palettes) has plenty of options if you don’t like to be cornered into one specific look.

Next up, to finish off the eye look, you need a good eyeliner. I know it’s not the sexiest of makeup products but playing around with these palettes to create looks, some of the looks were completely made by adding an eyeliner to the waterline. I prefer using either a white or a black. If I am doing a sultry look, a white eyeliner in the waterline can lighten the look and keep the eye from looking too heavy. On the other hand, if you are doing a lighter look but you want to amp it up a bit, black in the waterline can truly make a statement.

Lastly, for our night in, you need to finish off the face. If you are looking to do a monochromatic look, Natasha Denona’s Darya face palette is perfect for this holiday. With shades of pink for the blush, and champagne colored highlighter, this will make for the perfect coordinated look. If that is out of your price range though, you can get similar looking highlighters from ColourPop. Two of my favorites are the shades Flexitarian and Seismic. These shades are perfect for my skin tone, but honestly, if you have a darker skin tone, ColourPop will likely have shades that work well for you.

I am personally not a huge lip fan, most days skipping it all together so I don’t have any special suggestions regarding this category. If you are a huge fan of lip products though, please put them in the comments below so everyone else can check them out!

Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you and stay safe!

Christmas Haul 2020

This year, with a baby on the way, I knew I wanted to add some key items to my Christmas list as I probably won’t be buying a ton in the new year. As you may know, I am a huge fan of ColourPop and there are some newer releases that I have not picked up. I do collect the 9-pan plastic palettes but besides that, I tend to save other releases for birthday and holiday wishlists.

This year, I was lucky enough to receive four palettes and a Sephora gift card. I don’t know what I am going to use the gift card for yet but I am thinking of saving it for a sale as I have a knack for not realizing that there is a sale coming up and buying things about a week or two before the sale and then I regret not waiting.

The first ColourPop palette that I got was a bit of an older one. I am so excited to say that I have added the So Jaded palette to my collection! This is the first of their 30-pan palettes that was released in collaboration with the wonderful Kathleen Lights. This is a beautiful jewel-toned rainbow palette and while it does have two pressed glitters (which aren’t my favorites), as a whole, it is just stunning and I am looking forward to testing it out and creating some beautiful looks with it.

Next was the Stone Cold Fox palette. This is a bit more recent of a release but also a 30-pan palette. I am not normally a huge fan of larger palettes but this and the above mentioned palette are both ones I am willing to make exceptions for. This one is a beautiful range of cool tones, which I prefer when it comes to neutrals. This is a stunning palette and I also am very excited to create some cool looks with this beauty! I also plan on using this as a companion palette. That may seem weird, but personally I find that larger palettes are harder to use primarily because I run into choice paralysis. However, when I use a larger palette in conjunction with another, much smaller palette, it can change a typical look into something unique and it makes it much easier because I am only initially looking for a shade or two.

The next palette that I got was the At Forest Sight. This is another ColourPop collaboration, this time with RawBeautyKristi. This stunning palette is so unique in my collection! It is so grungy and sultry but still a rainbow palette and I have just never seen a palette like this one. I will be honest, this is going to push me out of my comfort zone but I am really looking forward to using it and creating some looks that I can’t do with any other palette.

Lastly, I was surprised with a palette that I did not add to my wishlist but upon receiving it, I might be most excited about this one and that is the Nude Mood. I think I am most excited about this one because it is a 9-pan palette, which is my preferred size, but also it is full of neutral shades (which is not more normal interests) that are just stunning! It’s perfect for an everyday look, a one and done look, or even a sexy cat eye look. It’s one of those palettes that is great to use when practicing new techniques because no matter what, all of the shades meld together great and it is very hard to create a look with this palette that doesn’t look good.

If you celebrate a holiday during this time, then I hope you had or will have a wonderful celebration! If you received or picked anything up, I would love to know what your got and what you are looking forward to playing with. Drop a comment down below and let me know if there is anything I need to add to my wishlist!

Halloween Makeup Must Haves and Costume Tips

As a makeup enthusiast, I can safely say I do not possess the skills to do masterpieces with makeup. I am not a makeup artist. This is important because when it comes to holidays like Halloween, it can be intimidating. It’s far easier to buy a costume and call it good, but it’s not necessary. Here are a few quick ideas and the products that you need (and probably have) in your collection.

Spider Eyes:

Products used: black eyeliner, fake lashes and lash glue. Steps: apply black eyeliner in a winged liner fashion. Extend the liner to make a long, thin wing, then draw two more lines (one straight out of the eye and one angled down). Connect two lines at a time with “u” shaped lines. Once a web is formed, draw a small line down the side of your face for the string to spider and add a black dot (kind of large dot). Lastly, cut up the fake lash, apply glue and place on the dot. This will form the spider on the face.

Stitched Mouth: This costume idea is best for someone staying in and celebrating with their loved ones.

Products used: black coal eyeliner, black eyeshadow, white or light foundation or concealer. Steps: cover face with foundation or concealer. Set the liquid. Using the black eyeliner, draw circles around the eyes and fill with black shadow. Then draw “x”s over the mouth. Using a little of the black shadow, shade over the “x”s to give some dimension.

Simple Skull:

Products used: black coal eyeliner, black eyeshadow, white or light foundation or concealer. Steps: cover face with foundation or concealer. Set the liquid. Using the black liner, map out the temples with sideways “u” shapes. Fill with eyeshadow. Map the eye socket (draw a circle around the eye) and fill with eyeshadow. Draw a triangle on the nose and fill with black shadow. Lastly for the teeth, draw a line from each side of your mouth. Then make a grid. If you want to shade them, you can add black shadow in a “v” shape on the line closest to the mouth. Or another option is to wear a mask and skip the teeth all together (this is what I recommend!).

All in all, Halloween doesn’t have to be intimidating. It can be a fun and creative way to express yourself and give a quick scare. My recommended products include: black liquid liner, fake eyelashes, eyelash glue, black coal eyeliner, black eyeshadow and a white or lighter then your skin tone foundation. All of these can be found at the drug store for a pretty affordable price. My preferred brand is Wet’n Wild. I hope this is helpful and that you all stay safe! Make sure to wear your masks if you are going out!

St. Patrick’s Day Palette Recommendations

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, you might be thinking, “what palette should I use, to encapsulate the holiday theme?” Green is a unique color that most really struggle to work with or have a difficult time using in a look. My hope is to help you pick a palette that you may already have in your collection, to help you create a simple, green look to celebrate the holiday.

A common theme you might see when looking at St. Patrick’s Day makeup is the combination of green and gold. The following will go from easiest application to more complicated.

For a simple one-shadow look, L’Oreal Infallible in the shade of Golden Emerald is beautiful if you apply it to the lid, then buff it into the crease. It is worth noting that this shade does have more of a dark base to it so it will still appear a bit smokey even buffed out. This color is green with specks of gold shimmer running throughout so it will give a glam effect when on the eye.

Next is Revlon Photoready Eye Art in Desert Dazzle. This is a dual-sided liquid eyeshadow. One side is an olive green opaque shimmer, while the other side is gold glitter. The simplest look has the green shade swiped on the eye with the gold glitter swept on the lid in either the center for a halo eye, or all over the the lid for a glitter glam effect. It is worth noting, if you haven’t used these in a while, let the green dry down before applying the gold glitter on the eye.

Huda Beauty Emerald Obsessions is another go-to palette when trying to create a green eye look. When looking at this palette, there are many options to go with but trying to keep it simple, take the lightest green shade in the crease, then apply your preferred green or gold shimmer on the lid. If you are taking this on a date night and want a little more depth, add in the darkest matte green or brown to the outer corner of the eye.

ColourPop’s Just My Luck palette is another go-to when creating a deeper green look. This palette has many options for the lid shade, using any of the middle row. Each one will give you a slightly different look, but using the color Chances Are… in the crease will work with any of them. Then you can use Act Natural or Charmed to deepen it up. Mo Bamba is also a great shade to smoke the look up a bit.

While ColourPop’s Mint To Be palette is not difficult to work with, pastels don’t always work best for everyone, so I moved it down the list. This is a great palette if you are looking for a more ethereal look or a daytime look. For the most simple look with this palette, use Get Fresh in the crease with a touch of Seltzer for a gradient look. Then apply Mintea on the lid with Play It Cool on the inner corner. For a fun touch, use Chill Factor to create a smokey liner.

Finally, the e.l.f. Hot Jalapeño quad is great to create a halo eye that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Apply the shades from right to left on the outer and inner portion of the eye moving in towards the middle of the eye. Use the shimmer gold for the center of the lid and use the shimmer green to melt the matte green with the shimmer gold.

This happens to be my favorite holiday and color scheme to wear as it goes so well with my brown eyes so I have A LOT of options available to me. I plan on trying one of these looks out for mine and my husband’s date night in on St. Patrick’s Day. If you plan on doing a look with this color scheme, comment below which palette you will be using!